Projectile.



H. F. LOOMIS- PROJECTILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1.

Patented Nov 20, 1917.

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rammin I .1 @Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania,have inventedcertain new H Jand useful Improvements in Projectiles, of

which the following is a specification. ,3 My invention relatesparticularly to ex- :plosive projectiles adapted for use in trenchwarfare or for like purposes, andmy main objectis to provide forsecuring the maximum destructive effect upon trench structures adjacentthe point of impact with the ground. v e j Ordinarilymthe maximum effecthas not I been produced because of the, undue pene- ,tration of theearth occurring before explosion of the charge; and my inventionconsists in an improved construction of the ,20 nose portion of theprojectile whereby such excessive penetration will be prevented, whileat the sametimethe axial line of the projectile will be held true to itsline of flight as heretofore.

Figure l is an elevation ofa shell embodymyinvention in preferred form.

ig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same. X

In the specific form shownin the drawing or represents a cylindricalshell of ordinary bya partition wall 0 screwed into the open a forwardend thereof; and d represents a det- 'l onating device in the form of anadjuste able fuse secured in the partition 0 and exvjltending into thecharge chamber 72 to explode the charge containedtherein at apredetermined time. 7

In order to secure the most effective results from such explosive shellsespecially when directed against entrenchments, the modern practice hasbeen to set the fuse to explode the charge only after the shell has astruck and penetrated the earth; and the best results are attained whenthe explosion a occurs after penetrating the earth to a depth j 1 notvery much exceeding that of the depth i of the trench against which itis directed. @The force with which the ordinary shell strikes the earth,particularly when dis- Specification of Letters Patent; P t nt d 20, 191'7,

. Application filed March 1, 1916. Serial No. 81,522. i

form having an explosive chamber 6 formed charged at the great elevationcommonly practised, causes it to penetrate to a great depth, and theforce of the explosion which is effective in destroying the trench isgreatly reduced. It is practically impossible to so time the fuse as toexplode the shell during its penetrative movement, and I thereforeprovide for so forming the shell thatvit will travel through the airwith a normal trajectory, but upon impact with the earth will besubjected to a retarding effect adapted to reduce its penetration andcause the shell to come to rest at a point not greatly below the bottomof an adjacent trench. To this end I provide the shell with a noseportion in the form of a hollow-cone frustum; the specific nose portion6 illustrated in the drawing being screwed into the shell at f, and soshaped exteriorly as to rovide it with a modified conoidal end suc as isfound to be desirable for maintaining true flight, though hollowed outso as to retard penetration. The usual pointed end of this hollow nosepiece 6 is cut away to form an opening it to the hollowed-out chamber'11.

This opening it is large enough to admit the passage of the time settingtool for the fuse; and holes or slots 70 may be provided in the walls ofthe hollowed nose, arranged spirally or otherwise, as desired.

When discharged from the gun the conoidalnose'e will maintain axialalinement during the flight of the shell, the inrush of air through theopening it escaping through the holes is. Upon striking the earth theopening h will admit earth to the chamber a, which will flow through theholes is under the pressure, thus very effectively retarding penetrationof the projectile.

My improved shell with its hollow retarding nose will permit timing theexplosion of its charge so as to secure the most effective results, andshells will have effective results equal to or greater than much largerand highly explosive ones operating as heretofore, inasmuch as they willexplode at a proper depth relative to the trench instead of a depthgreatly below it. My improved nose construction may obviously be formedintegral with the shell body, and be readily i modified in form withinthe limits of my inm fuse, and it. separately ;formed nose portionvention as defined iii/she claim; in the form of a, h011OWv( 3OI1 'fI11StuII;i having IVVhaJt 'I'cl'aim is:- '1 ,v afront OpeningSina'ller-thaflsaid end-clo- 10 A g' An explosive projectile0Omprising'acy1in I sum and "walls I of substantially uniform '5jdri'calshell, a; sepalfz telyfformed'jgnd-clqthickneg piovide d withiapertupes. gsure the gfplgpi'bviglqdnwit QQ'iiiQdherqol iffixniwsigngiture.

' xpl'ding HENRY*F."LQOMIS.

